Bling Realty welcomes newest team member

A native of the Birmingham area, Lorie McRee is the is the newest realtor to join Trussville-based Bling Realty. Transitioning from a resilient career in healthcare that includes a layoff from Healthsouth after the Scrushy conviction, McRee is transferring her love of helping others to her dream job.

“Even as a teen, I’d thumb through the realty books from the grocery store, curious about the sales prices and wondering what the houses looked like inside,” recalled McRee.

When asked why she chose Bling to help launch her second career, McRee explained, “I knew I didn’t want to go to a big chain. There’s absolutely nothing wrong them, but I feel like I won’t get lost in the shuffle at Bling.”

Co-owners Andrea Quick and Chelsey Hames opened Bling Realty in October 2016 after having worked as realtors for a larger chain.

Quick reasoned the pair’s departure from the previous agency as, “The decision was nothing negative. Sometimes you just have to take risks and it was time to fly.”

Hames provided her motivation by saying, “It was always part of my end-game plan. My grandfather had one of the first real estate offices in Center Point. My mother had her own company as a broker. And I’ve always wanted to have my own business.”

“When I was little, all my friends wanted to play ‘Teacher’, but I wanted to play ‘Realtor’. I’d fill out my mom’s blank contracts and tell my friends why they could or couldn’t sell the house for a certain price.”

Hames’ mother, Freda Jones, now provides her experience as Associate Broker on the Bling Realty team.

“I’m amazed at Chelsey’s professionalism and how genuine and fair she is. I’m very proud that I can call her my broker and my daughter,” boasted Jones.

Hames and Quick chose to name their agency “Bling” to symbolize multiple things, starting with the recognition that each client is unique and deserves to be treated as such. The name also represents the light of Christ they hope shines through each of them in how they run their business and serve their clients.

With over forty years’ of combined experience, the team has established relationships often needed to make a home more appealing to buyers through repair work, painting, or staging. They also work with professionals that may be needed to better position a buyer for a loan, such as attorneys or lenders specializing in credit improvement. Additionally, Bling will beat the commission price of any written & verifiable competitor contract, including flat-fee contracts.

Realtor Rachel Zivitz joined Bling shortly after it opened and observed, “We offer the same services that all other larger firms do. But because we’re smaller, we’re able to spend more time with people and provide more attention than they might get elsewhere.”

Quick summarized, “You can do a good job. Or you can Bling.”

To learn more about Bling Realty, visit blingrealty.com or call (205) 452-2595.